Organization: Animal Político - El Sabueso
Applicant: Arturo Daen
Assessor: Ramón Salaverría
Background
Operating since 2015, Animal Político - El Sabueso is a Mexican fact-checking organization that, according to the assessment made, complies with all the standards required by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
Assessment Conclusion
Animal Político - El Sabueso fully complies with all the requirements of the IFCN Code of Principles. Just a minor improvement has been suggested at criterion 1.5, not critical for the quality of fact-checking operations. Beyond that, the overall assessment is POSITIVE in all aspects, so the recommendation to the Board is to renew the accreditation of the applicant.
Ramón Salaverría assesses application as Compliant
A short summary in native publishing language
En funcionamiento desde 2015, Animal Político - El Sabueso es una organización mexicana de verificación de datos que, de acuerdo con la evaluación realizada, cumple con todos los estándares requeridos por la International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
Section 1: Eligibility to be a signatory
To be eligible to be a signatory, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 1.1 The applicant is a legally registered organization, or a distinct team or unit within a legally registered organization, and details of this are easily found on its website.
- 1.2 The team, unit or organization is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking.
- 1.3 The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application. For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track. Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
- 1.4 On average, at least 75% of the applicant’s fact checks focus on claims related to issues that, in the view of the IFCN, relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society.
- 1.5 The applicant’s editorial output is not, in the view of the IFCN, controlled by the state, a political party or politician.
- 1.6 If the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, it provides a statement on its site setting out to the satisfaction of the IFCN, how it ensures its funders do not influence the findings of its reports.
Criteria 1.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain where on your website you set out information about your organization’s legal status and how this complies with criteria. Attach a link to the relevant page of your website.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The information is always available and visible in the footer. In the section "Quienes somos" (About us), any reader has access to the official documents that show our legal status.
About us, with link to the Articles of Incorporation / Organization:
https://www.animalpolitico.com/quienes-somos/
Articles of Incorporation: https://es.scribd.com/document/47751661/Editorial-Animal-Inscripcion
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político is a digital publication founded in 2010 owned by Editorial Animal, a branch of Grupo Editorial Criterio, a Mexican publishing company. This publication self-defines as a "digital native digital medium that brings together journalists, designers, programmers and video editors to create content with rigor, precision and thought to serve citizens." The publishing company also runs Animal Gourmet and Animal.mx, both digital native media. Since January 2015, Animal Político runs a section called El Sabueso (‘The Hound’), focused on fact-checking. Animal Político has presented evidence of its legal status, disclosing the ownership and company structure.
done_all 1.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please answer the following questions – (see notes in Guidelines for Application on how to answer)
1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started?
2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?
3. What different activities does your organization carry out?
4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago)
1. El Sabueso started in January 2015. Animal Político, a Mexican news outlet, began this effort in order to encourage accountability in the public debate. El Sabueso has its own section in Animal Politico's website (https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso/) in which is easy to read all the fact checks and verifications that the team has done since 2015.
2. Animal Político has people working full-time in order to maintain the website and its editorial jobs, the profiles are available on the section "Directorio" https://www.animalpolitico.com/directorio/ . It has: 1 programmer, 1 designer, 6 reporters, 1 growth editor, 2 Community Managers, 6 editors, 2 video producers, 1 coordinator for the opinion section, 1 general editor, 1 director. Specifically at El Sabueso there are five full-time reporters working, one part-time and an editorial coordinator. This can be verified in the "directorio" section of El Sabueso. https://www.animalpolitico.com/directorio-sabueso/
3. Animal Político does research journalism around subjects like corruption, human rights, accountability and transparency. It publishes daily stories as well as breaking news, fact-checks, debunking false information, multimedia products for social media and long-breath stories through the year.
4. This year the goal is to create more multimedia material, increase interaction with readers and increase the frequency of posts. El Sabueso grew, went from 2 reporters to 7, the objective this year is to continue generating verifications in multimedia formats and to cover false events that are broadcast from different parts of the country.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político has presented, in full detail, information about:
1. The year (2015) when its fact-checking operation started, under the name of El Sabueso.
2. The team responsible for El Sabueso, which is composed of 7 members: 5 full-time reporters working, 1 part-time journalist and 1 editorial coordinator. Acocording to the information provided by the applicant, El Sabueso gr went from 2 reporters to 7 in 2021. The team of Animal Político is composed of 22 workers in total.
3. The activities carried out by Animal Político, which comprise "research journalism around subjects like corruption, human rights, accountability and transparency" in Mexico.
4. The main goals that El Sabueso is pursuing in 2022, which are 1) to create more multimedia material, 2) increase interaction with readers and 3) increase the frequency of posts.
done_all 1.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.3
Proof you meet criteria
- The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application.
- For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track.
- Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
All the publications are available here: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BDMLgpRXcmmhFJVit7rxlXE4Uu1GqNE-S6Lqd81iC2E/edit#gid=0
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político -El Sabueso has presented a spreadsheet with 53 fact-checks performed over the six months prior to the date of application (May. 4, 2021 - Oct. 18, 2021). This document proves that the applicant has surpassed clearly the minimum requested of at least one fact-check published a week.
done_all 1.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous three months. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Upon a random review of multiple fact-checks published over the year 2021, the assessor has come to the conclusion that more than 75% of El Sabueso’s fact checks focus on claims related to issues that relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society in Mexico. On the year assessed, the most relevant topics were the Covid-19 pandemic, national elections, politics and environmental issues, mainly related to energy.
done_all 1.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain any commercial, financial and/or institutional relationship your organization has to the state, politicians or political parties in the country or countries you cover. Also explain funding or support received from foreign as well as local state or political actors over the previous financial year.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago)
We don't receive funding from any political actors or parties.
But we have a section for commercial content, called "Hablemos de" in which the commercial team —that is independent from editorial— publishes content about specific topics. Sometimes this content could be about state actors, but when that happens, the content appears in this commercial section that always has the phrase "sponsored content".
https://www.animalpolitico.com/hablemos-de/
As we need to identify the commercial content to be transparent with our audience, we created a few years ago a specific section for it.
The publication of this section has the term "contenido patrocinado". We can not add the term in the section for technical reasons, but the term is in the picture of each publication. So, each time any reader finds a content sponsored, it'll show "contenido patrocinado" at the top.
We identify the section in each year's publication about revenue streams that is linked to the Quienes Somos section.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
According to the information provided by the applicant, Animal Político did not have any commercial, financial and/or institutional relationships with the Mexican state, and did not received funding from politicians or political parties.
From time to time, it does publish content paid by commercial brands. This content is developed by a commercial team, independent from the editorial newsroom. When such contents are published, Animal Politico label them as "sponsored content" in the top-left corner of the article and they are gathered in the section 'Let's talk about' (Hablemos de).
Nevertheless, when performing this assessment examples have been found of articles not labeled as "sponsored content" but that, according to their content, seem to be paid (for instance, this or this one). The applicant is kindly invited to label clearly as sponsored content all news or advertorials that have been paid or sponsored by commercial brands.
done_all 1.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.6
Proof you meet criteria
If you confirmed the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, provide a link to where on your website you set out how you ensure the editorial independence of your work.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago)
The commitment of the editorial independence of Animal Politico's journalism can be found in the Code of Ethics:
https://www.animalpolitico.com/codigo-de-etica/
And has this chapter:
Animal Politico does not respond to any partisan, religious, political, or any other interest that may coerce, compel, or obstruct our journalistic mission.
Journalists, collaborators, executives, and members of the editorial board are responsible to keep impartiality in order to ensure that interviews, news, and any journalistic work responds only to the public interest.
The personal points of view, feelings, or political and moral preferences of the members of the team should not prevail over the objectivity and editorial criteria of Animal Politico.
The non compliance of the Code of Ethics is translated into the cease of the labour relation.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político - El Sabueso has a Code of Ethics where it requests all workers to "not respond to any partisan, religious, political, or any other interest that may coerce, compel, or obstruct (their) journalistic mission". Beyond that, it provides full and transparent disclosure of all the relevant information about its ownership and funding scheme.
done_all 1.6 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 2: A commitment to Non-partisanship and Fairness
To be compliant on nonpartisanship and fairness, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 2.1 The applicant fact-checks using the same high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim.
- 2.2 The applicant does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, considers the reach and importance of claims it selects to check and publishes a short statement on its website to set out how it selects claims to check.
- 2.3 The applicant discloses in its fact checks relevant interests of the sources it quotes where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. It also discloses in its fact checks any commercial or other such relationships it has that a member of the public might reasonably conclude could influence the findings of the fact check.
- 2.4 The applicant is not as an organization affiliated with nor declares or shows support for any party, any politician or political candidate, nor does it advocate for or against any policy positions on any issues save for transparency and accuracy in public debate.
- 2.5 The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site. Save for the issues of accuracy and transparency, the applicant’s staff do not get involved in advocacy or publicise their views on policy issues the organization might fact check in such a way as might lead a reasonable member of the public to see the organization’s work as biased.
Criteria 2.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please share links to 10 fact checks published over the past year that you believe demonstrate your non-partisanship.
Please briefly explain how the fact checks selected show that (I) you use the same high standards of evidence for equivalent claims, (II) follow the same essential process for every fact check and (III) let the evidence dictate your conclusions.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Government uses misleading household electricity cost figures to advocate for electricity reform
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/gobierno-comparacion-enganosa-autoabastecimiento/
Party leaders boasted triumphs ... when in fact they lost by up to 10 points
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/lideres-partidos-presumieron-triunfos-realidad-distinta/
Did Loera "make a brutal cut" of 2,900 million pesos to Chihuahua, as Maru accused?
These sayings of the PVEM candidate about government support and campaign expenses are false
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/dichos-candidata-pvem-falsos-apoyos-gasto/
Was 2020 "the driest year for Chihuahua" in the last 35 years, as Graciela Ortiz put it?
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/2020-chihuahua-seco-lluvias-graciela-ortiz/
Candidates not "recycled"? MC has 14 who have lost elections with other parties
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/candidatos-que-perdieron-sinaloa-movimiento-ciudadano/
These videos were slowed down to simulate that López Obrador and Calderón were drunk
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/amlo-calderon-videos-ebrios-ralentizados/
Deputy did not speak in this way before the Congress of CDMX; the video was slowed down
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/diputado-morena-ebrio-video-ralentizado/
This report that AMLO declared himself a "communist" is false, the photo is edited and not the BBC publication
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/falso-reporte-amlo-comunista/
This video was edited and gives a false version of the Cry of Independence of an official in Tlaxco
El Sabueso checked Mexican politicians from any party, any authority that managed public resources -federal or state-, and actors involved in the public sphere. The list includes different authorities and subjects, and also different ways of explaining misleading statements.
During the past year in Mexico Federal elections were held and the El Sabueso team verified candidates from different parties using the same methodology.
On the other hand, President López Obrador dictates a daily press conference, its content is raw material to verify, but we have also denied false information that involves him, the Mexican government and the party he represents.
All fact checks are done following our methodology. After the selection of the claim, which is always evaluated and chosen based on the public interest, the next step is to reach out to the author of that claim to find out the original source that was used. This allows us to have a fair, accurate and contrasting fact-checking exercise on each claim.
The construction of each Hound follows the same structure: an open paragraph to remember the claim, the data / disclosure that we use for the conclusion and the rate.
Subsequently, we show the position of the author of the claim after the consultation of The Hound and the full explanation of our discovery with the use of complete data, graphs or interviews with experts. Even when we do not have a response from the author of the claim, we indicate in the body of the text that it was sought to integrate his point of view.
Additionally, all sources are fully visible with official links, files, documents, or data that we download and use during fact-checking.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
As requested, Animal Político - El Sabueso has demonstrated sufficiently its non-partisanship by providing ten examples of fact-checks to politicians and political parties from all the political spectrum in Mexico.
done_all 2.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you explain how you select claims to check, explaining how you ensure you do not unduly concentrate your fact-checking on any one side, and how you consider the reach and importance of the claims you select to check.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
How we select the fact checks and claims can be seen in the Methodology section: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-metodologia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
As requested, Animal Político - El Sabueso has a page where it discloses publicly its fact-checking methodology. The methodology is deemed sound and transparent.
done_all 2.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (Jan. 2021 - Dec. 2021), no traces have been found of commercial interests that might influence the fact-checking activity of Animal Político - El Sabueso.
done_all 2.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (Jan. 2021 - Dec. 2021), no traces have been found of ideological or political interests that might influence the fact-checking activity of Animal Político - El Sabueso.
done_all 2.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you publish a statement setting out your policy on non-partisanship for staff and how it ensures the organization meets this criteria.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The non-partisanship for the staff can be found in the Code of Ethics: https://www.animalpolitico.com/codigo-de-etica/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The applicant sets out a Code of Ethics, compulsory for every of its staff members. According to this Code, "journalists, collaborators, executives, and members of the editorial board are responsible to keep impartiality in order to ensure that interviews, news, and any journalistic work responds only to the public interest". The non compliance of the Code of Ethics is translated into the cease of the labour relation.
done_all 2.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 3: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Sources
To be compliant on sources, applicants must meet these four criteria
- 3.1 The applicant identifies the source of all significant evidence used in their fact checks, providing relevant links where the source is available online, in such a way that users can replicate their work if they wish. In cases where identifying the source would compromise the source’s personal security, the applicant provides as much detail as compatible with the source’s safety.
- 3.2 The applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available. Where suitable primary sources are not available, the applicant explains the use of a secondary source.
- 3.3 The applicant checks all key elements of claims against more than one named source of evidence save where the one source is the only source relevant on the topic.
- 3.4 The applicant identifies in its fact checks the relevant interests of the sources it uses where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.
Criteria 3.1
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político - El Sabueso consistently backs the fact-cheks with links to reliable sources of data, so that the readers can check by themselves the truthfulness of the analyses.
done_all 3.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
According to the assessor's knowledge, the sources used by Animal Político - El Sabueso to back fact-checks are well diversified, relevant and sound.
done_all 3.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the six months prior to this assessment (Jul. 2020 - Dec. 2021), the overall impression is that Animal Político - El Sabueso shows a good diversity of sources to back its fact-checks, giving priority for public, open-access content. Foreign sources, especially from international media, are usually referred. Experts on the respective topics are also frequently quoted. No unduly concentration in any specific sources has been detected.
done_all 3.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The sources used by Animal Político - El Sabueso are free-access and reliable, so that readers can conclude the interests that could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. No examples have been found of cases where the applicant has contextualized the sources used to back its fact-checks, explaining why some sources have been used instead of others.
done_all 3.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 4: A commitment to Transparency of Funding & Organization
To be compliant on funding and organization, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 4.1 Applicants that are independent organizations have a page on their website detailing each source of funding accounting for 5% or more of total revenue for its previous financial year. This page also sets out the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
- 4.2 Applicants that are the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization make a statement on ownership.
- 4.3 A statement on the applicant’s website sets out the applicant’s organizational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
- 4.4 A page on the applicant’s website details the professional biography of all those who, according to the organizational structure and play a significant part in its editorial output.
- 4.5 The applicant provides easy means on its website and/or via social media for users to communicate with the editorial team.
Criteria 4.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please confirm whether you are an ‘independent organization’
or ‘the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization’ and share proof of this organizational status.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
El Sabueso is part of Animal Político, an independent news outlet organization.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
El Sabueso is an independent fact-checking organization, bound to the digital native media Animal Político.
done_all 4.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.2
Proof you meet criteria
If your organization is an “independent organization”, please share a link to the page on your website where you detail your funding and indicate the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
If your organization is “the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization”, please share a link to the statement on your website about your ownership.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
This can be found in our "About us" section: https://www.animalpolitico.com/quienes-somos/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
As requested, Animal Político - El Sabueso has a page on its website where it details the ownership and the legal form of the organization. It also provides information on the funding scheme.
done_all 4.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out your organizational structure, making clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The organizational structure can be found in the directory: https://www.animalpolitico.com/directorio/
The organizational structure can be found in the directory: https://www.animalpolitico.com/directorio-sabueso/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político publicizes a team directory of its staff members. They include both the managers and workers of the company.
done_all 4.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.4
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out the professional biographies of those who play a significant part in your organization’s editorial output.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The organizational structure can be found in the directory: https://www.animalpolitico.com/directorio-sabueso/
For example: https://www.animalpolitico.com/author/samedi/
Each fact checker has a public profile.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
As requested, biographies of team members are published on Animal Político's website, including their Twitter handles and a list of their respective articles.
done_all 4.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you encourage users to communicate with your editorial team.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Readers can send claims through our website: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-metodologia/ and email: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-contacto/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político - El Sabueso provides different means of contact to users. The main one is a corporate email account. In addition, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handles are also provided. All of them are easily accessible for users.
done_all 4.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 5: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Methodology
To be compliant on methodology, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 5.1 The applicant publishes on its website a statement about the methodology it uses to select, research, write and publish its fact checks.
- 5.2 The applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and where possible explains the reason for choosing the claim to check.
- 5.3 The applicant sets out in its fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it.
- 5.4 The applicant in its fact checks assesses the merits of the evidence found using the same high standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.
- 5.5 The applicant seeks where possible to contact those who made the claim to seek supporting evidence, noting that (I) this is often not possible with online claims, (II) if the person who makes the claim fails to reply in a timely way this should not impede the fact check, (III) if a speaker adds caveats to the claim, the fact-checker should be free to continue with checking the original claim, (IV) fact-checkers may not wish to contact the person who made the claim for safety or other legitimate reasons.
- 5.6 The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable.
Criteria 5.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to the statement on your website that explains the methodology you use to select, research, write and publish your fact checks.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
The applicant publicly discloses the methodology used to select, research, write and publish its fact-checks. It is deemed sound and reliable.
done_all 5.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Based on a random review of a number of fact-checks published over several months prior to this assessment, enough examples have been found that Animal Político - El Sabueso selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims
done_all 5.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Drawing upon a number of randomly selected fact-checks, the assessor has come to the conclusion that Animal Político - El Sabueso commits to transparency and fairness when processing claims.
done_all 5.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
No evidence has been found of the eventual usage of different standards for fact-checking, depending on who made the claim, or the subject checked.
done_all 5.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.5
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
In a random sample of fact-checks, no examples were found of the objectionable situations indicated for this criterion. In absence of any evidence of misbehaviour or infringement of this part of the code of principles, the assessment of Animal Político - El Sabueso is positive.
done_all 5.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.6
Proof you meet criteria
Please describe how you encourage users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable. Include links where appropriate. If you do not allow this, explain why.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Readers can send claims through our website: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-metodologia/ and email: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-contacto/
In some of the notes that are requested by social networks we add that the verification was required by one of our readers
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/no-hay-codigo-penal-sancione-atropellados-puentes/
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/levantarte-de-prisa-causa-muerte-falso/
Also, in our videos, we encourage people to follow us and send more claims or doubts.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político allows users to send claims and corrections through different means of contact. It actively invites users to contribute with their ideas and suggested topics to be fact-checked.
done_all 5.6 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 6: A commitment to an Open & Honest Corrections Policy
To be compliant on corrections policy, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 6.1 The applicant has a corrections or complaints policy that is easily visible and accessible on the organization’s website or frequently referenced in broadcasts.
- 6.2 The policy sets out clear definitions of what it does and does not cover, how major mistakes, especially those requiring revised conclusions of a fact check, are handled, and the fact that some complaints may justify no response. This policy is adhered to scrupulously.
- 6.3 Where credible evidence is provided that the applicant has made a mistake worthy of correction, the applicant makes a correction openly and transparently, seeking as far as possible to ensure that users of the original see the correction and the corrected version.
- 6.4 The applicant, if an existing signatory, should either on its corrections/complaints page or on the page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory inform users that if they believe the signatory is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.
- 6.5 If the applicant is the fact-checking unit of a media company, it is a requirement of signatory status that the parent media company has and adheres to an open and honest corrections policy.
Criteria 6.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to where you publish on your website your corrections or complaints policy. If you are primarily a broadcaster, please provide evidence you frequently reference your corrections policy in broadcasts.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-politica-correccion/
Last year we did not record many cases, but this is an example of how an editor's note was added and the reply from the person who was verified.
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/doctora-datos-falsos-maniplados-entrevista-covid-vacunas/
Here examples from previous years
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/violencia-estados-gobierno-pan/
In the website there is a link for the correction policy. Just next to the Methodology.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político - El Sabueso has a sound corrections policy. It allows users to send claims and corrections through different means of contact (mail, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). No time frame is indicated to respond to the claims, but El Sabueso commits itself to notifying the user who sent the claim as soon as the article has been updated.
done_all 6.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the corrections policy to verify it meets critera. No additional information needed.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
done_all 6.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a short statement about how the policy was adhered to over the previous year (or six months if this is the first application) including evidence of two examples of the responses provided by the applicant to a correction request over the previous year. Where no correction request has been made in the previous year, you must state this in your application, which will be publicly available in the assessment if your application is successful.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
El Sabueso hasn't correction requests in the previous year. As our correction policy mentions, we add a "Nota del Editor" when there are changes after the request.
An example of how this works is probably this replica request: https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/doctora-datos-falsos-manipulados-entrevista-covid-vacunas/
We add an "editor's note" at the beginning of the post and include the reply that came to us at the end.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Over the year assessed (Jan. 2021 - Dec. 2021), there have been no examples of corrected fact-checks. However, at least one example of a correction request has been provided, which received adequate response by the media company. All in all, the policy is deemed as compliant.
done_all 6.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.4
Proof you meet criteria
If you are an existing signatory, please provide a link to show where on your site you inform users that if they believe you are violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN of this, with a link to the complaints page on the IFCN site.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
It's visible in the Correction Policy: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-politica-correccion/
And in the Methodology: https://www.animalpolitico.com/sabueso-metodologia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
As requested, Animal Político - El Sabueso informs users on how they should proceed in case they want to inform the IFCN of any violation of the Code of Principles.
done_all 6.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.5
Proof you meet criteria
If you are the fact-checking unit of a media company, please provide a link to the parent media company’s honest and open corrections policy and provide evidence that it adheres to this.
Animal Político - El Sabueso
23-Nov-2021 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
Animal Político has internal manuals for operations that describe what to do in case of corrections.
The document includes step by step how Animal Politico makes corrections and there is a version for El Sabueso (attached)
Link for internal manual socialmedia: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EEKJjQB_syfHZ826qXtTGMSGtG63Mw6IH2fC_GzD7bA/edit
Others: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YpWIRvBLBbwWgIMvFs1IMLKVdGRpT6sxWeOc7SZMv_c/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T42QxW6fxrcRePimqdndDZhl0cayOs2COY-lci1VZBQ/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13ayRDKGab1F0mxkkV81tUtiN1WAsf0fJSF6UXBcFsPw/edit
The manual explains: Animal Politico / El Sabueso publish the full letter or message sent by the interested party; if a correction it is made, we add an Editor Note in the top of the text.
We add an answer from the editorial team when it’s necessary and in social media we publish that a correction it was made.
Examples:
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/carta-sct-camino-oaxaca/
https://www.animalpolitico.com/elsabueso/doctora-datos-falsos-manipulados-entrevista-covid-vacunas/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
05-Jan-2022 (2 years ago) Updated: 2 years ago
El Sabueso is the fact-checking division of Animal Político, a stand alone media organization. Animal Político has a social media stylebook that adheres to the policy and Code of Ethics used by El Sabueso.